The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is currently searching for a new head coach for the Indian Men’s cricket team as Rahul Dravid’s tenure has expired after guiding Team India to the T20 World Cup final. Another World Cup champion, Gautam Gambhir, is most likely to take over the role from Dravid. Dravid initially joined the Indian team in November 2021 on a two-year contract, which was later extended for the ODI World Cup 2024. As India looks for its 27th head coach, here is the full list of Indian cricket team coaches over the years.
India’s first head coach was appointed in 1971, with Keki Tarapore taking on the responsibility to groom the India cricket team.
PR Man made history by becoming the first manager to lead Team India to an ICC World Cup title. Though not a coach, he served in that role as well.
By 1992, India adopted a policy of granting long contracts to national team coaches rather than appointing them for specific tours. Interim managers like Chandu Borde and Bishan Singh Bedi were replaced under this new approach, resulting in national team coaches such as Ajit Wadekar, Sandeep Patil, Madan Lal, and others being brought in with more extended contracts.
Interestingly, Kapil Dev also served as a coach for a short period of time. He resigned after Manoj Prabhakar alleged that he had tried to bribe him during a series in 1994.
List of Indian cricket team coaches
| No. | Name | Tenure | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keki Tarapore | 1971 | India |
| 2 | Hemu Adhikari | 1971-74 | India |
| 3 | Gulabrai Ramchand | 1975 | India |
| 4 | Datta Gaekwad | 1978 | India |
| 5 | Salim Durrani | 1980-81 | India |
| 6 | Ashok Mankad | 1982 | India |
| 7 | PR Man Singh (manager) | 1983-87 | India |
| 8 | Chandu Borde | 1988 | India |
| 9 | Bishan Singh Bedi | 1990-91 | India |
| 10 | Abbas Ali Baig | 1991-92 | India |
| 11 | Ajit Wadekar | 1992-96 | India |
| 12 | Sandeep Patil | 1996 | India |
| 13 | Madan Lal | 1996-97 | India |
| 14 | Anshuman Gaekwad | 1997-99 | India |
| 15 | Kapil Dev | 1999-2000 | India |
| 16 | John Wright | 2000-05 | New Zealand |
| 17 | Greg Chappell | 2005-07 | Australia |
| 18 | Ravi Shastri (Interim) | 2007 | India |
| 19 | Lalchand Rajput | 2007-08 | India |
| 20 | Gary Kirsten | 2008-11 | South Africa |
| 21 | Duncan Fletcher | 2011-15 | Zimbabwe |
| 22 | Sanjay Bangar (Interim) | 2016 | India |
| 23 | Anil Kumble | 2016-17 | India |
| 24 | Sanjay Bangar (Interim) | 2017 | India |
| 25 | Ravi Shastri | 2017-21 | India |
| 26 | Rahul Dravid | 2021- | India |
Most Successful Indian coaches
South African Gary Kirsten is considered the most successful Indian coach. Under his coaching, India won the ODI World Cup and went on to become the number one team in Tests.
Rahul Dravid as India’s coach
Following his success in leading India’s U-19 team to the World Cup title in 2018, Dravid was appointed as the coach of the senior cricket team. Under his mentorship, India reached the ODI World Cup 2024 final and also became the number one team in both ODIs and Tests.
